LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 107
After having a conversation with the vocal teacher in the hallway, I stepped back into the vocal room for another lesson and spotted Yeeun, grinning ear to ear, engrossed in her phone.
It was clear that after consuming the red medicine from the vocal teacher, something about her was different.
…Same with being a VTuber, I guess.
Thinking that made me feel a slight sense of camaraderie…
Considering she might be a domestic VTuber, she probably just got started, right? As an industry veteran, I felt like I wanted to give her some advice.
“Shall we get started?”
“Sure!”
Of course, I had no intention of striking up a conversation first nor did I have the personality for it.
Thus, the lesson continued, and my curiosity deepened with each passing moment.
Who is she?
Her voice is decent, she sings well, and her bright and positive personality seems perfect for getting her noticed.
Well, aside from the members of the Celestial Realm, I hardly watch any other broadcasts… so it’s not like I could figure her out by sitting here and thinking about it.
For now, I decided I would look her up when I got home later.
Setting aside my rambling thoughts, the lesson was quite satisfying.
Tying K-pop to my barely remembered hits from the past, I felt like I was starting to get a sense of it now.
This could really help me network with the VTuber scene, not just during broadcasts but even with Tenshi.
After having lessons right up through the second break while sipping some water to soothe my throat, Yeeun suddenly struck up a conversation while the vocal teacher briefly stepped out.
“Um….”
“Yeah?”
What is it? Does she have business with me?
Or did she catch me observing her a few times during the lesson? I felt a little guilty.
“Well… I heard you used to learn from the teacher.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
“She’s a great instructor, right? I was a bit worried at first, but she teaches so well…”
Fortunately, it wasn’t anything more than that.
Just her classic approach to break the ice.
It felt new to see someone chat up a common topic with a stranger I just met today, something an introvert would never do.
The only people like that around me were Hyejeong and Ah-young.
Wow… who would have thought a person like this would be a VTuber?
Is this it? Is the VTuber scene now part of the popular culture?
As we engaged in light conversation, after a moment of contemplation, Yeeun suddenly asked,
“By the way, how old are you?”
“Me? Hmm… want to guess?”
“Oh, can I try?”
Yeeun, accepting my suggestion with enthusiasm, examined me for a moment before responding.
“Hmm… normally, I get it right away but this is slightly perplexing.”
Yeeun tilted her head as if genuinely unsure, which puzzled me.
Just like last time with Moon Chang-sik, why can’t anyone guess my age?
There’s no way my looks could be giving off a mature vibe!
“Haah… I’m 21, am I a bit old-looking? I might get a bit sad now.”
“Oh, no! That wasn’t my intention at all… um, I thought you looked really young now that I know you’re 21…”
Seeing me sulk a bit, Yeeun appeared visibly flustered and started to ramble.
She seems really nice at a glance.
“Haha, I’m just joking. Should I take a shot at guessing your age?”
“Uh, would you really?”
I was about to make a guess, but then… I realized that this might be a bit tricky.
If I shot too high, it would ruin the vibe… how about just throwing a guess in the early twenties range?
To size her up, I watched Yeeun carefully, but I noticed her face muscles tensing slightly under my gaze.
Did I stare too much?
Her eyes are already a bit sharp, so I probably made her uneasy with my poker face.
So, I smiled a bit before saying,
“Hmm… around 22?”
“What? Aha! I’m actually 25!”
I had thought she seemed to be in her early twenties, but 25…
“Wow, I genuinely thought you were my age.”
“Isn’t that quite the lip service?”
Despite saying that, Yoo Eun’s smile widened.
She already had a cheerful face, but now it looked like her smile could reach her ears.
As we were loosening up and continuing our conversation, the break ended, and the vocal teacher walked in.
“What? When did you two get so close?”
“Haha! Soo-hyun is just so funny!”
Seeing us suddenly become friends, the vocal teacher’s eyes widened, and a smile crept across her face as if pleased.
“Well, that’s nice. Shall we continue the class?”
“Yes!”
Is this the power of forming friendships?
The atmosphere improved dramatically for the final lesson.
“Alright, that’s it—great job today!”
“Yes, thank you, teacher.”
“Not at all, Soo-hyun. It was nice seeing you after a while.”
“Haha, I’ll come by to visit often.”
“You promise?”
“Yes!”
After the lesson wrapped up, as I was getting ready to head home, Yeeun called out to me.
“Um, Soo-hyun.”
“Yeah?”
“Could you teach me about Instagram?”
“Oh, Instagram? I don’t really use it.”
“Ah…”
Oh? Did she take my honest answer as a refusal?
Seeing Yeeun’s expression drop slightly, I quickly added,
“Then, would you like to exchange numbers? Since I really don’t use Instagram.”
“Uh, o-oh yes!”
Her face brightened again at the notion of exchanging numbers.
People’s emotions are really easy to read.
And so, I saved her new number in my contacts.
Well, I don’t know if this connection will last, or if it’ll be fleeting,
But I figured if she’s someone like Yeeun, it could be worth keeping around for a while, and headed home.
***
I’m a professional broadcaster.
And I assert that my relationship with my viewers is that of business partners.
So, if I learned something new at the academy, what should I do?
[Yes, K-Pop expert here]
I should turn on the broadcast and share what I’ve learned with my viewers.
-???
-When did you become one?
-Are you even a professional?
-Isn’t this J-Pop?
Just like that, as the broadcast started, viewers began questioning right away upon seeing the title.
Hmm, yes yes, there might be some confusion here.
But I just learned something, you know?
“Hello everyone.”
-Hi there!
-Nice to meet you, but what’s with the title?
“Uh, well, I just wrote it as it is.”
-Here we go with another build-up.
-What nonsense is happening today??
[Thanks for the 10,000 won donation, Miro!]
Spoiler) Today’s broadcast is J-Pop World Cup.
-Oh.
-Not the spoilers!
-Oh, actually this is fine lol.
-Let’s hurry and kick off the World Cup.
…How did they know?
I had only said two phrases since the start of the broadcast, and they figured out today’s content.
“Hmm… surprisingly, that’s true…”
Well, since they already caught me, what can I do?
I immediately displayed the bracket for the K-Pop World Cup with 128 contestants.
-128 contestants??
-Bring on 256 participants lol.
-Let’s just stay up all night!
[Thank you for the 1,000 won donation, unnamed!]
But can you handle it, teacher? Their fandom is…
-Whoa!
-What?
-Huh?
Anyway… I can’t just go along without saying anything, these cheeky viewers are trying to stir things up.
“Ah, please note that this World Cup is solely based on my subjective opinion, and there’s no malice intended.”
Just in case, I made a disclaimer before attempting to start the World Cup… but…
[Thanks for the 1,000 won donation, Miro!]
Miro’s viewers state they will completely align with Miro’s personal opinions.
-For real.
-We’ll boycott any song Miro doesn’t pick.
-Good luck lol.
These guys…?
Why does education on this job seem never-ending?
Sometimes I realize just how noble the profession of a teacher is during times like this.
“Well then.”
I change the bracket screen.
Isn’t it problematic since it’s domestic songs along with domestic fandoms?
“Today’s content is this.”
[Indonesian Song World Cup: 1024 contestants]
-??
-Ah.
-Indonesian at five, huh lol.
-No, 1024 contestants? What the hell?
“This should be fine, right? The artists or fandoms over there won’t hear my opinions anyway.”
-We’re the problem, right?
-I’ll send a PDF of the translations to them.
-Damn, everyone’s heads are too thick.
[Thanks for the 1,000 won donation, unnamed!]
Teacher, how about banning anyone who stirs up chaos and just do K-Pop instead?
It seems like the unfamiliarity of Indonesia is causing some pushback?
The viewers are trying to pin the blame on each other and start looking for someone to scapegoat.
In moments like this, a broadcaster just needs to follow the flow.
As long as the arrows don’t come my way, I’m good.
“Should I?”
-For real.
-Why are you causing chaos?
-Are you the one doing it again?
-This is why new viewers aren’t sticking around lol.
-For real, just leave already.
[Thanks for the 100,000 won donation, Miro!]
Could we offset this with the teacher’s bail money?
“Wow—no way, that’s a generous donation.”
I was planning to discipline a few people and get everyone in line, but for a donation like that…
As soon as I received that donation, I turned off the Indonesian Song World Cup screen.
-You got money lol.
-Give it!
“Thanks so much, I can’t thank you enough. Should we let everyone go and kick off this content instead?”
Smoothly shifting the topic from searching for scapegoats back to the content, I immediately started the Song World Cup but…
“Um, okay…”
-Cool lol.
-Don’t risk it lol.
-Let’s just keep listening!
“Uh… yeah, let’s listen to it first…”
How did it start right away?
I managed my expression as I played the first song.
-Cool lol.
-This is what a song should be.
-Hmm.. it’s decent enough?
Even though the chat was exploding with viewers’ reactions, I couldn’t help but feel a bit different.
The song that’s currently peaking in its highlight was…
“Wow, this first track is really good. Is this really K-Pop?”
Because it was the song I had decided to do with Tenshi.